Paul James Krause (born February 19, 1942) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

and the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

. Gifted with a great frame, speed and range, Krause established himself as a defensive force against opposing

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

s. He led the league with 12

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

s as a rookie before going on to set the NFL career interceptions record with 81 and was inducted into the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

in 1998. Krause was selected eight times to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

during his 16 seasons in the NFL and is considered to be among the greatest safeties in NFL history.

Early life

Krause attended and played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

at Bendle High School in Burton, Michigan, and earned all-state honors in basketball, football, baseball and track. Known for once scoring 78 points in a basketball game, he was one of the few in his high school to ever receive an athletic scholarship.

College career

Krause attended and played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. He was a two-way starter as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

, and

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. As a senior in 1963, he tied the Iowa record with six touchdown pass receptions and was selected for the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

, the East-West Shrine game, the Coaches' All-American game and the College All-Star game. He finished his college career with 42 receptions for 718 yards, 49 carries for 263 yards, and 8 touchdowns. Krause also played baseball at Iowa. As a sophomore, he earned

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n honors and was selected into the major leagues, but he turned down the offer. Krause's chances to play professional baseball were ended when he injured his shoulder in his junior year playing football against the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Professional career

Washington Redskins

Krause was drafted in the second round of the

1964 NFL draft The 1964 NFL draft was held in Chicago, Illinois, at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers on Monday, December 2, 1963. The first overall pick was Dave Parks, an end from Texas Tech, selected by the San Francisco 49ers. The AFL draft was two days e ...

by the

. In his rookie season, he led the NFL in interceptions with 12, including interceptions in seven straight games, and was named to the All-NFL first team. He was named to his first of eight Pro Bowls and was second only to teammate Charley Taylor for the NFL Rookie of the Year award. Although he intercepted 28 passes in his first four seasons with the Redskins, he was traded to the

for

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

Marlin McKeever and a seventh-round draft choice in the

1968 NFL draft The 1968 NFL/AFL draft was part of the common draft, in the second year in which the National Football League, NFL and American Football League, AFL held a joint draft of college players. It took place at the Belmont Plaza Hotel in New York City ...

Minnesota Vikings

Krause played with the Vikings until he retired after the 1979 season. During that time, he was one of 11 players to play in all four of the Vikings Super Bowl appearances (

Super Bowl IV Super Bowl IV was an American football game played on January 11, 1970, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the fourth and final AFL–NFL World Championship Game in professional football prior to the AFL–NFL merger taking ...

, VIII, IX, and XI). He also recorded an interception in the 1969 NFL Championship Game. Krause recorded an interception in Super Bowl IV and a fumble recovery in Super Bowl IX. Krause was often referred to as the Vikings "

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...

" because of his success as an interscholastic

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player and his ability to catch interceptions. He currently holds the all-time interception record in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

with 81, which he returned for 1,185 yards and three touchdowns. He set the record in 1979 against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

, in the second quarter of a 27–21 overtime loss with his 81st interception coming in the final quarter. The previous record of 79 was held by

Emlen Tunnell Emlen Lewis Tunnell (March 29, 1924As noted in the "Early years" section below, reliable sources are substantially in dispute as to w whether Tunnell was born in 1922, 1923, 1924, or 1925. – July 23, 1975), nicknamed "the Gremlin", was an Ame ...

, another former Hawkeye who played for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

and the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

from

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

. Krause recovered 19 fumbles, returning them for 163 yards and three touchdowns. Krause only missed two games due to injuries in 16 seasons.

After football

In 1994, Krause was elected to the Board of County Commissioners for

Dakota County, Minnesota Dakota County is the third-most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota, located in the east central portion of the state. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 439,882. The populat ...

. He served for twenty years and he did not seek re-election in 2014. Currently, Krause is involved in real estate development and insurance, and he owns several restaurants, including the Dairy Delite in

Lakeville, Minnesota Lakeville is an exurb of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and the largest city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. It is about south of both downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul along Interstate 35 in Minnesota, Interstate 35. Lakeville w ...

. He previously owned a golf course in Elk River, Minnesota. Krause was named to the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1985, the

in 1998, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of

Sarasota County Sarasota County is a county located in Southwest Florida. At the 2020 US census, the population was 434,006. Its county seat is Sarasota and its largest city is North Port. Sarasota County is part of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota, F ...

Sports Hall of Fame on May 7, 2004. The current scoreboard at Father Aagason Field (the former Holy Redeemer Field) in Burton, Michigan, was named in his honor, and was erected through funds from

Meijer Meijer Inc. (, ) is an American supercenter chain that primarily operates throughout the Midwestern United States. Its corporate headquarters are in Walker, Michigan. Founded in 1934 as a supermarket chain, Meijer is credited with pioneering ...

, Bendle High School boosters and Holy Redeemer Catholic Church parishoners.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Krause is married to his wife, Pam, and has two daughters and one son. In 1995, Pam Krause was severely injured in a car accident near their home in Lakeville, Minnesota when she was hit by a truck. She spent five and a half months in a coma, but survived and is recuperating.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Krause, Paul 1942 births Living people American athlete-politicians American football safeties Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players Iowa Hawkeyes football players Minnesota Vikings players National Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from Flint, Michigan Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Washington Redskins players Western Conference Pro Bowl players